Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 36.0% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 82.6% less likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.8 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 62.0% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 63.8% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 38.1% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.5% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 46.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
have 36.2% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guatemala, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.1% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 63.3% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 47.8% less coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
live with 67.2% less strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 44.0% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 43.2% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.